Moon Children
by ariannalupin
Summary: This was a short opening for a plot bunny that I had. Now it is turning into an actual story. No pairings yet, though I have an idea, and if you read you'll figure it out. Main characters are Sev, Siri, and OC. SlightlyEvilVoldie! NiceLucius! OKSlyths!
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This is a story idea that I had floating around for a while. It deals with an alternate universe where Severus, Sirius, and another character are promised to Voldemort at birth and become his most loyal and powerful followers. I'm curious as to what people think about this idea (if I did work on this story I would not abandon any of my others)._

Six figures appeared with a pop outside the gates of a dark manor. The three women each held an infant in their arms. Slowly the gate creaked open. Another hooded figure appeared from behind the gate. He beckoned for them to follow. The women clutched the infants closer to their chests to shield them from the cold February air. In the manor at the top of the lane a single light was shining out of a corner window.

Eventually the party arrived at the corner room. The greeter knocked twice and then walked away. A voice from inside indicated that the group should enter.

"Lords Black, Prince, and Gordon why have you disturbed me so late."

Lord Black spoke for the group; "My Lord, Gordon and I have brought our children and Lord Prince his grandchild to you."

Voldemort turned and faced the three men, only just noticing the three women holding infants standing behind the men.

"Why are you bring them to me now?"

"They are Moon Children"

Voldemort sat back in shock, there hadn't been a set of Moon Children born in over 400 years, "You are positive?"

"Yes my Lord." Black bowed and stepped aside, gesturing the women to bring the infants forward.

"Show me the marks."

Swiftly the babes' backs were exposed, and on each right shoulder a waxing crescent could be seen glowing silver in the darkness. Voldemort smiled when he saw this.

"You did the right thing my loyal followers. Your children will be my three most trusted. What are their names?"

"Sirius Black, Severus Prince, and Cassandra Gordon."

"You will train them to be my most knowledgeable and powerful followers. On their fifth birthday bring them back to me. At that time I will take over their training personally."

"Yes my Lord," all six of them bowed to the Dark Lord and then backed out of his study.

Once alone Lord Voldemort smiled again _"Nagini,_" he waited for his familiar to come to him,_ "today my followers did me proud. Three Moon Children to follow me. Their marks shone silver, tying them to the darkness. Dumbledore will never have a chance against those three."_


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: I do not own Harry Potter. The idea for this story's direction is completely mine. Reviews are appreciated and very helpful. Thank you to all who reviewed last time._

**What Sirius Experiences**

Abraxas Malfoy hurried down the halls of Riddle Manor, his Lord had summoned him and his young son to a meeting, and it would not do to keep the Dark Lord waiting. He rapped quickly on the door to the study. When he received permission he entered, Lucius following close behind. Once in the presence of Lord Voldemort, both Malfoy's bowed deeply.

"Abraxas," Lord Voldemort stated, "I have called you here because I have a very important task for your son. You have heard rumors of the Moon Children?"

Abraxas looked up startled, "Yes My Lord, we all have heard them, but no one seems to know who the children are."

Voldemort smiled, "They are children of my followers and have been promised to me. They arrive in a week for their training. Lord Malfoy I want your son to remain here with the children for the next year, getting to know them and building trust. After all, he will be their most trusted."

"It would be an honor my Lord," Abraxas bowed low, "Lucius would be happy to assist you in anyway for the next year my Lord."

Voldemort inclined his head, "Very well, make sure he is here at precisely nine o'clock on the 14th." He waved his hands to dismiss the two and turned back to his paperwork, not looking up as they left the room.

Once out of the Manor, young Lucius turned to his father, "Father what are Moon Children?"

"Quiet Lucius," his father hissed, "I'll explain it to you when we arrive home.

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At nearly five years old Sirius Black was sure he understood a lot of things. He understood that he was the oldest child and heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. He understood being the heir brought with it a number of responsibilities that his brother would never understand. He understood that when his father died he would have to watch out for and protect the rest of his family. He understood that family was the most important thing in life. But the thing that Sirius understood most of all was that the mark on his back was special, that he and Cassie and Sev were important, and that no one else in the world was like them, and that their status gave them extra privileges with those who knew about it.

With all that he understood though, Sirius did not understand why, on his fifth birthday, there were no guests at his house to celebrate. Every other birthday he had ever had, that he remembered (two all told), the Manor had been filled with family and other purebloods from early morning to dusk. Not even Cassie and Sev were there, and they spent nearly everyday together. Sirius did not complain though, he was the Black heir after all, and whining was beneath him.

When he reached the dining room Kreacher, the family house-elf, had already set out a lavish breakfast. His father was at the table reading the paper, occasionally making comments to Sirius's mother who was fussing over Regulus. They looked up at him when he entered the room, "Good morning Mother, Father."

"Happy birthday, son," his father greeted, "after breakfast we are going to a very important meeting with the Dark Lord."

"Yes father," Sirius voiced his agreement as he accepted a plate of food from his mother, "thank you mother."

Once he was done eating, Sirius's father led him over to the fireplace and picked him up. His father reached for the floo powder and tossed it into the flames. With Sirius still in his arms he called out, "Riddle Manor."

The only thing Sirius could think, when his father stepped through to the other side of the floo, was that Riddle Manor was even more lavish then his own home, and it was big. He was distracted quickly, though, by the appearance of his in of his closest friends. Sev stood next to his grandfather, the usual solemn expression on his face, he gave Sirius a quick greeting, but anything else was cut off by the floo flaring again.

This time it was the third member of their trio, held tightly in her father's arms, eyes clenched shut so she didn't have to watch the fireplaces spin. Once she was through, she quickly waved at the two boys, but remained standing next to her father, where he put her down, as was proper for a pureblooded girl. Each boy walked up to her and bowed over the offered hand in greeting. After the perfunctory greetings were made, the men allowed the children to wander off to another corner of the room to entertain themselves.

"So," Sirius started with a grin, "do you know why we are here?" Each of his friends shook their heads. "My mummy was really sad this morning," Cassie supplied, "she said that I wouldn't see her for a while and to be good for our Lord."

Sev scoffed, "Of course we will be good for the Dark Lord, it is our duty."

Cassie sniffed, "I know that Sev. I'm just telling you what she said. Stop bein' so mean."

"Children," Lord Black called from the doorway, "it is time to go, come here."

The children went to stand next to their respective guardians. Cassie going as far as to grab her father's hand, something the two boys would never attempt. The group of six followed Abraxas Malfoy down the hall and to the Dark Lord's study.

The Dark Lord smiled at the three children, once they had greeted him properly, and then turned to their escorts. He pointed at the young, blond Malfoy heir, "Lucius will be in charge of the children from now on. You three," he pointed to the children, "say good-bye to your fathers and grandfather, then Lucius will show you to your rooms and give you a tour of the manor."

Each child looked at the Dark Lord in wide-eyed disbelief. They were staying here? However, it had been ingrained from birth for the children to follow the Dark Lord, and so they quickly went to their guardians. Only Cassie received a hug from hers, but the two boys received tight shoulder clasps and silent good-byes from theirs. The three then went over to Lucius and followed him from the room, casting on last look on their guardians, little did the children know that it would be a year before they saw them again.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: I have no excuse for this taking so long. I'm working on my Masters degree and TAing at the moment, so I am swamped. I will try to update all my stories as often as possible, but it depends on my workload. As always I plead with you to review._

What Severus Observes

Severus observed. He observed lots of things. He watched the interactions between the adults in his life. The way his mother avoided his grandfather, the way his grandfather spoke of Severus' mother with disappointment coating every word. He observed that unlike his friends he did not have a father to look up to, only his cold grandfather. Watching his friends was his favorite though; Cassie and Sirius thought they could get away with everything, and their parents hadn't stopped that belief. Severus knew they couldn't because he saw it and let them know. It was not often when one of three had enough leverage over the other two to make them do something, and Severus had it most often.

With his constant habit of observing everything that went on around him, Severus noticed what his friends did not. He noticed the way that each of their guardians had said goodbye had been different than normal. Lucius, he noticed, was treating the three with a deference that they were not entitled to (well maybe Sirius was due to his status as the Black heir). It made Severus afraid, that things were happening that he did not understand. He would ask Cassie about it later, she would know what was happening. The last thing that Severus observed before the group stopped, was that everyone they had passed in the hall had stared at the trio of young children like they were the most important things in the world.

He observed that as they continued walking that Cassie's grip became tighter on each of their hands. How Sirius wanted to run back to his father, but wouldn't since he understood the duty he had to the Dark Lord. And he observed that his own hands were shaking slightly, whether in fear or excitement he couldn't tell.

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Lucius had been watching, as well as he could, the trio of five-year-olds curiously. His father had explained who and what they were to him after the meeting with the Dark Lord. It had been impressed upon Lucius that he should behave courteously to the children at all times if he wanted to remain in his guaranteed position of their second. There was something off about them, though, and it unnerved him greatly.

It may have been the way they all watched everything, especially the Prince heir. Or it could be the fact that the three of them were holding hands, one boy on each side of the girl. That closeness should not be permissible in pureblood society, yet the three had been doing it since entering the Dark Lord's presence and no one had said anything against it.

He turned down the last hall and opened the middle door on the right wall. The group of four walked into the room. The main room was huge and painted a dark blue. The children's feet sunk into the lush cream carpet that stretched wall to wall. Three chairs surrounded a small circular table. A couch sat in front of the fireplace, and a larger table sat near the far wall with six available chairs.

Lucius cleared his throat to get the three's attention, "Each of your bedrooms connect to this room," he pointed to the three doors that lined the far wall, "the middle room had been designed for Cassandra, the room on the right for Sirius and the one on the left for Severus. A house-elf has been assigned to each of you. Just snap your fingers to call for them.

Your meals are to be taken in this room unless specified otherwise by the Dark Lord or one of your tutors. Breakfast will be served at 8:00, lunch at 1:00 and dinner at 7:00 precisely. I will usually meet with you for the meals. My room is directly across the hall from here. If you need anything at all, no matter the time, please let me know."

The three five-year-olds wandered around the main room, looking closely at each detail. Cassie couldn't stop herself giggling at the Malfoy heir's pompous way of addressing them. She did try hard to not offend him, for they would have to deal with him daily. Sirius was the first to finish looking and he came up to Cassie, following her around just to annoy her. Severus finished last, by the time he was done the other two had curled up in front of the fire. He walked over and joined them, falling on top of them and earning himself two shrieks of laughter.

Lucius watched the three interact, marveling at the freedom that they must have been allowed at home. Very few proper purebloods were allowed to act the way the five-year-olds were. He cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the three youngsters, "I take it you have settled in?" Three little heads nodded in agreement. "Very well, the Dark Lord will be joining us for dinner tonight, so you will need to dress appropriately. Your parents have sent over your wardrobes, and the house-elves have placed your clothing in the appropriate locations in the rooms. He will explain why you are here and what he expects from each of you. I will take my leave now. It is 11:00. I will be back a 1:00 to join you for lunch." With that Lucius gave the three a quick bow and left the room.

Left alone the three began a more in depth exploration of their new rooms. They started with Sirius's private room. Sirius was happy to discover his room was painted in deep blue and grey, with the molding done in black. All three were pleased to discover that there was a door connecting Sirius's room to Cassandra's and assumed that there would be one that connected Cassie's to Severus'.

Cassie's room was done in purple and gold. And the three found the connecting door to Sev's room, which was done in green and black. They decided to leave the doors open between the rooms open at all times. It was scary to be alone in the large rooms. After all their exploring, the three children were tired. They curled up together on the couch in the main room and fell asleep. That was where Lucius found them two hours later.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: It's been a long time since I've updated anything. I apologize profusely. The only excuse that I can offer is that graduate school has taken up a lot of my time over the last year. I have chapters in the works for all my WIP and will be trying very hard to keep working on them steadily. I have also started blogging- the link is on my profile- you can use it to keep up with my life and see why I haven't updated. Thanks so much for your patience and your reviews. They really help keep me motivated._

What Cassandra Knows

Cassie knew things, she always had. The connections that existed in the world just made sense to her. Her two friends always asked her questions, testing her knowledge and comparing it to theirs. While Sirius may have understood the details of events and Severus observed people's movements and hidden meanings, she took their information and told them what it meant in a larger picture. No one else she had ever met could make the connections she did. So when she had arrived at the Dark Lord's manor she knew that that it was unlikely she would be leaving again. She knew that their guardians would leave them, and she knew that the young Malfoy heir would become very important to the three friends.

She was heartbroken when she had to say goodbye to her father. The Dark Lord scared her; she could feel the dark magic swirling in his aura. Lucius was the only comfort that she had. Her sense was telling her that he would never betray the three children. It was his job to protect and guide them, and he would. So when she woke from her nap, she ran over to the boy and hugged him.

Lucius could not help but smile at the three children piled up in front of the fire. He met two brown eyes staring at him from the pile. Cassandra was awake. She slithered out of the pile and ran towards him. He was surprised when she threw her arms around his knees in a hug. Then she took a step back and looked at him.

"Thank you."

Lucius blinked. He had no idea how to respond to that statement. After all, he had done nothing to warrant a thank you from the girl, but before he could ask she was already over by the two boys, waking them up for lunch.

Cassandra poked the two of them, startling the boys awake. She giggled as the boys tried to extract their tangled limbs.

"Cassandra," Sirius growled, "I'm goin' get you." Cassie squealed and ran toward Lucius with Sirius close on her heels. She ran behind his legs to hide. It did nothing to stop Sirius, and he charged toward both, knocking Lucius down. All three children froze. Lucius slowly sat up. He looked at the three children, two on each side and one watching from the couch, and laughed, for the first time since he was their age he laughed with almost complete abandon.

Lucius' laughter alleviated the tension building in the room, and the three five-year-olds quickly went back to their chase. After watching for five minutes Lucius cleared his throat, "Children it is time for lunch. Please go wash up." The three young children scurried off to their individual bathrooms to wash up.

Fifteen minutes later the four were seated at the small table in the room.

"Lucius?"

Lucius looked at Sirius when he spoke, "Yes?"

"Do you know why we are here? Why the Dark Lord had ordered us to be left with him?"

All the children turned their focus to Lucius. Their innocent eyes stared up at him, waiting for an answer. Lucius swallowed nervously, he was not supposed to tell them anything about being Moon Children or their years of service to the Dark Lord.

He cleared his throat, "I can not tell you. The Dark Lord will explain when he is ready to, but not a moment before that. In the meantime, the elves have sent up lunch. Come eat."

The three children sulked at not getting their questions answered, but they dutifully began to eat the meal set before them. After they were finished Lucius sat them on the couch.

"There are a few more things that you need to know before the Dark Lord comes to speak with you. Your wardrobes from home have been sent and placed in the closets in each of your rooms. Tomorrow a tailor will be sent up to take your measurements for ceremonial robes, the Dark Lord will explain the need for them later. You have a curfew of nine o'clock and lights out is at nine-thirty. At nine-thirty the door to your suite will lock, preventing anyone but myself and the Dark Lord from coming or going."

The three children nodded their heads in acceptance of the rules, though they were still pouting at the lack of information about why they were so important to the Dark Lord and his cause. Sirius spoke up, "Are we allowed to leave these rooms? Do we get to go outside? What about tutoring, will we continue it?"

"You are not allowed to leave these rooms without an escort, who will most likely be me. I will see if I can arrange a time, with the Dark Lord, for you to be outside. Your tutoring will start in one week, after you have had a chance to settle into the manor and have learned your responsibilities. Until then you are expected to become accustomed to your new positions. You have been provided with a library as well, it will be updated every year, as you grow older, more books will appear that are age appropriate.

By the time Lucius was done explaining this to the children, he could tell that they were growing impatient with sitting still. At five-years-old they did not have the attention span to remain sitting for more than 20 minutes or so. "That is all. You may do as you please until dinner time." With that Lucius walked towards the door to the rooms.

By the time he had reached the doors the children were already off the couch chasing each other in manner resembling the scramble from before lunch. Their laughter was bright in the room. Lucius shut the door on the three and went to inform the Dark Lord that he had explained the rules to the children and that they appeared settled in their rooms.

The children on the other hand, once Lucius had left, stopped their play and sat in a circle. "So," Sirius started, "what do you think of all this?"

Severus hmmed, "We cannot yet make any observations. We should wait until we have met the Dark Lord and he has explained our purposes for being here."

"We can assume," continued Cassandra, "that whatever the reason is, it is extremely important or else we would be assigned the Malfoy heir as babysitter, nor given these rooms."

"That is true," Sirius added, "We may also assume that our purpose here will be extended. Since we are now living here and will be given a new tutor. I am not sure that we will like our place."

Severus scoffed at the other two, "We should not continue to make assumptions. What happens will happen. Until then we should wait to meet the Dark Lord tonight and hope that he explains our importance."

The other two nodded and soon the three went back to playing. Happy in the innocence of youth.


	5. Lucius's Choice

AN: No excuses for taking time. I am working on all my stories. Hoping to get chapters up for New Marauder and Another World soon. Please review!

Lucius's Decision

Lucius did not quite understand his purpose here or the children he was assigned to watch. In fact, even though his father had explained what moon children were and why they were so important to the dark, he remained confused as to why the Dark Lord wanted them at his manor.

The four children, three five-year-olds and the ten-year-old sat stiffly in their chairs waiting for the Dark Lord to join them. None of them had ever spent much time in his presence, and all were extremely nervous about this dinner. Not only would they have to eat in the Dark Lord's presence, but he would also explain why they were all there.

Each child had dressed in his and her finest robes, immaculately put together, for this dinner. Cassandra had even asked Lucius to brush and put her hair up in a nice ponytail for the meeting, something that Lucius grudgingly agreed to since, he figured, it would become common over the next year.

At exactly 7:00 the door to the dining room opened and Voldemort swept in. He regally sat at the head of the table. Once he had sat down, the food appeared on the table. The children waited for Voldemort to begin serving himself before they reached for their food. They ate in silence. The three five-year-olds trying to be as neat as possible, shifting uncomfortably in their chairs as the dinner dragged on for over an hour in silence. The Dark Lord's presence was oppressive and stifling, pressing down upon the free magic surrounding the children.

Finally the Dark Lord set aside his silverware and had the elves clear the dishes. Sipping on a glass of red wine he turned his attention to the children. He addressed them "Lucius should have explained what is expected of you. Your tutoring will start a week from Monday. I expect you to apply yourselves diligently to your work. I will know if you cause any problems," at this his eyes focused on the two young boys, but he declined saying anything, "Furthermore, I expect you to be dressed appropriately every morning and to change into formal clothing for dinner every night. In a year you will be introduced to my followers as young lords and ladies. Do you have any questions?"

Timidly, Sirius raised his hand. When the Dark Lord nodded in his direction he asked, "Why are we here?"

Voldemort smirked, "Ah, yes. I had forgotten that your guardians had not explained this to you. You are Moon Children. The marks on you shoulders identify you as such, and tell that you will be tied to the Darker side of magic. As you grow your power will expand, and you will need trusted people to channel it through. I hope that Lucius here, as well as myself, will be two of those people. When Lucius attends Hogwarts next year he will scout for more followers, ones that will be loyal to you and, in turn, to me.

"That is what you are here for. You are here to be the seconds in my army. I hope that over time your tutors will help you manage your gifts. Severus you will be my strategist, you see things more clearly than anyone I know, your ability taps into magic in order to read intentions, personality, and ability. Sirius will be my general. He understands people, can make split second decisions, his abilities tap into magic itself to read the aura's of those surrounding him. And lastly, you Cassandra, your ability is the rarest of all; you will be able to see the future."

All three children gulped. They had not realized that their power was that specific, that needed in the Dark Lord's forces.

Voldemort smirked behind his wine glass. He found the four children entrusted to him dreadfully amusing. At this point it was well past nine o'clock, the three youngest could barely keep their eyes open. Voldemort stood, the children scurried to stand as well, "Lucius, put the children to bed. In the morning they have an appointment with a tailor directly after breakfast. After that they will meet with their first tutors. I will join you for the afternoon sessions with the specialty tutors."

"Yes, My Lord," the four chorused. Voldemort nodded and left the room.

Lucius smiled at the sleepy children, "Well, you heard the man, off to bed."

Each child scurried to their respective suites, pulled out their pajamas, and went into the bathroom. Once their nightly ablutions were finished the children climbed into bed. Lucius went to each room, pulling the covers over them and turning off the lights.

Lucius then left for his own room across the hall and got ready for bed. He pulled out a book on the history of Moon Children and their service to magic in order to try to understand the full implications of the three children he was watching in this war. Malfoys believed, after all, that knowledge gave one power over enemies and friends alike.

He was not sure that he was prepared to fill the role the Dark Lord had laid out for him. Loyalty to three heirs, all from families less noble and ancient than the Malfoys, was not something that had been trained into him or was ever expected from him. The three children were powerful, he would admit that, but he was not sure if they were powerful enough to deserve the Malfoy family's protection and loyalty. He would watch and wait for them to prove they were worthy of his undying affection.

The alert wards on the children's rooms sounded. All three of them were out of bed. Lucius began to get up when he heard the door to his suite open and three pairs of feet pad along the soft carpet. A knock sounded on his bedroom door. He opened it slowly and looked down at the three standing in front of him.

"Um," it was Sirius who spoke, "We can't sleep. Can we stay here with you?"

Lucius looked at the beguiling faces of the youngsters and could not find it in his heart to say no to them. "Fine, in to bed you three."

The three climbed on the bed and curled around each other, leaving half the bed for Lucius. Warmed by the heat of three children who Lucius felt would be the most powerful magic users of the generation, he made a decision. The Dark Lord did not realize the effect of his orders on the world. Lucius would be loyal to the children first, over anyone else.


End file.
